Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley entered the contemporary country mainstream with 1999's Who Needs Pictures on Arista Nashville, and scored a hit single and video with the title track, revealing himself to be not just another pretty face but an accomplished guitar slinger as well as a bona fide personality with a healthy sense of humor -- some of it self-deprecating. After a year of road-dog touring from one end of the United States to the other, Paisley returned to the studio with producer Frank Rogers and cut Part II. Its leadoff single, "I'm Gonna Miss Her," was a straight-up honky tonk weeper that hit the Top Ten in the country chart and set into motion Paisley's place as one of the top draws in both record sales and concert appearances on the contemporary country scene. Remarkable as it seems, these two offerings are now among the lowest selling in Paisley's catalog. They appear here in a single package as both a way for Sony/BMG to clear its shelves and, to a lesser degree, introduce later fans to the high quality of Paisley's early work in the genre. Of course, those who have been there from the beginning would have little -- if any -- reason to purchase these two albums again in a different package (a slipcase), since neither contain bonus material. The high rating is for the music. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide